Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Malmo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Malmo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,092 in Malmo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Malmo $2,092

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,149 in Malmo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Malmo $3,149

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,206 in Malmo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Malmo $4,206

Playa del Carmen is about 42% cheaper than Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Malmo is 54% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$15.17 SEK 149

-28.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$76.1 SEK 746

-42.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$12.18 SEK 120

-3.28%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$4.94 SEK 48.44

-22.87%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$24.07

$3.50 SEK 34.36

-63.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$2.70 SEK 26.51

-71.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$8.69 SEK 85.3

-63.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$9.11 SEK 89.4

-45.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.67 SEK 16.36

-15.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.84 SEK 27.91

-21.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.44 SEK 33.76

-58.72%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$4.12 SEK 40.42

-38.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$13.17 SEK 129

-44.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$11.85 SEK 116

-35.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$21.25 SEK 209

-40.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.97 SEK 29.11

-6.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.63 SEK 25.76

-47.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.94 SEK 28.85

-13.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.26 SEK 41.77

-50.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.63 SEK 15.97

19.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.55 SEK 15.26

21.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.51 SEK 24.65

-54.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.18 SEK 11.55

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$8.17 SEK 80.2

-47.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.38 SEK 112

-12.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.05 SEK 20.11

-22.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.37 SEK 23.29

12.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$3.22 SEK 31.65

-82.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$63.9 SEK 627

-58.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$6.05 SEK 59.4

-17.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$2.48 SEK 24.37

34.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$49.44 SEK 485

-89.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.79 SEK 17.55

-19.55%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$32.6K SEK 320.3K

-36.69%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$33.3K SEK 326.5K

-29.47%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 MX$1,592

$144 SEK 1,412

-41.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.41 MX$439

$25.21 SEK 247

-7.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$40.19 SEK 394

-28.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$39.31 SEK 386

45.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$29.48 SEK 289

-1.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$17.12 SEK 168

-69.98%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,878

$168 SEK 1,651

22.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$3,352 SEK 32.9K

17.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$102 SEK 1,001

-57.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$45.62 SEK 448

-9.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$111 SEK 1,086

-32.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$156 SEK 1,533

-42.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,100 SEK 10.8K

-10.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$852 SEK 8,363

-55.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,765 SEK 17.3K

-3.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,343 SEK 13.2K

-19.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$4,098 SEK 40.2K

-3.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$3,158 SEK 31.0K

95.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,979 SEK 29.2K

-75.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.05

275.41%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Malmo

$852 40.8% 124% $471

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Malmo

$371 17.8% 45.8% $117

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Malmo

$304 14.5% 50% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Malmo

$209 10% 52.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Malmo

$187 8.9% 67% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Malmo

$74 3.5% 9.3% $6.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Malmo

$95 4.6% 88.8% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,100 in Malmo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Malmo are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $76 in Malmo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $371 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

22:14 10:14 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

316,588

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Malmo 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Malmo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 74% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,138 in Malmo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,100 in Malmo.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $168 in Malmo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Malmo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Malmo at $2,092. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,092 in Malmo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Malmo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.